Case study · Home fragrance
A reed diffuser designed as home decor
A home furnishings chain asked us for a reed diffuser that would sit in its room sets as a piece of decor, not as a scent product. We designed a bottle with a wide top and a narrow base, so it seems to float, and vertical ribs that let coloured liquid show through. The project went from design to market in under five months.
The brief
The customer sells furniture and home furnishings, and styles its stores as rooms. A diffuser in those rooms is seen beside sofas, lamps and vases, so it had to look like it belonged with them. The scent mattered, but the bottle was what would sell it.
The design
- Shape: a wide top over a narrow base gives the bottle a light, weightless look on a shelf.
- Ribs: vertical grille ribs in the glass catch the light, and the coloured liquid shows through them.
- Colour: the liquid colour does the work a printed label would do on another bottle, and it was tested against light so it would not fade on the shelf.
Upgrades after launch
Once the first version was on sale, we proposed two upgrades for the next season: a gradient colour on the glass, and a resin cap in place of the original. Both keep the shape, so no new mould was needed, and both change the look enough to refresh the range.
Timeline
From the first design to the product on the market took under five months. That included making the mould, which takes 35 to 40 days from the signed 3D drawing, sampling, testing and production.
What it shows
Home fragrance sells on the bottle. Designing the bottle for where it will sit, here a styled room in a furniture store, gives a retailer something no catalogue bottle can. The reed diffuser page covers our own designs and decoration options.
Questions buyers ask
Why is the customer not named?
Not every customer allows us to use its name. We describe the project and show the product with permission, without the retailer's branding.
How long did it take?
Under five months from design to the product being on the market, including the mould.
Can we adapt this bottle for our own range?
This bottle was designed for one customer. We can design a bottle with the same thinking for you, or start from one of our own designs on the reed diffuser page.
Last updated . Reviewed by Tang Guoqiang, OEM/ODM Sales Manager at YFF Cosmetics.
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